Saturday 20 August 2011

'Betfair signs cheeky beach volleyball deal.' Cheeky or...?

Beach volleyballers Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin are world-class sportswomen. I don't know if Marketing Week have trademarked the term that they'll be "renting out their rears" but if you haven't heard, that's what these ladies will be doing... dutifully. Betfair will be printing QR codes on the ladies' bikini bottoms having signed an exclusive advertising deal to see them through to the 2012 games.
Andy Lulham, UK sports and marketing PR at Betfair, says this:
“There is huge interest in beach volleyball and we want to ensure that our advertising campaign is seen and remembered by as many sports-fans as possible."
Ah, so you're targeting the 'SPORTS-fans'. Silly me! Though I do wonder how anyone is going to concentrate on any kind of game action when they're trying to line up their little QR bum codes on their little mobile screens.
The last time I watched beach volleyball, I definitely remember the players moving. Quite a bit actually. Oh, UNLESS, Betfair are going to get the women to stand in a line, stationary, just so that spectators can get a half-decent voyeuristic view. Stick it up on the big screen - far more efficient. Actually, sod the game, forget the sport, as long as Betfair get a good return on their rented rears..!
Wait a sec, Andy says more:
“As far as we’re aware this is the first time QR codes have been used in in-play sports advertising and what better way to test its effectiveness than by putting them on one of theplaces that is likely to get photographed the most.”
So, OK, let's apply this theory to the sport of men's gymnastics; in particular, the pommel horse or the still-bars. I wonder whether a brand with any kind of rep would ever think about plonking a QR code on the man-parts which are most likely to be viewed by spectators during these events. Hmmmmm.
You think that's a tenuous analogy?

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Three Peeves

1) Tuthuffers
  • Train approaches platform.
  • Commuters congregate in small huddles where train doors MAY halt at.
  • Train reaches platform and slows.
  • People suddenly decide to walk alongside the train - faster than it's moving - knocking into those standing on the edge of the platform as they try and catch up with the doors that've already passed.
  • Throughout this process they tut and huff. One lady actually shouted 'Come on!' at me. Come on where? What?!!?! Panic.
Summary:
I don't understand how I always seem to be in the way and why I deserve any kind of tut. I tried to move along with the huffers but ended up miles away from any door and subsequently didn't get a seat. HUFF!!!!

2) Cyclists cycling through pedestrian underpasses
  • Big 'CYCLISTS DISMOUNT' sign in glaringly obvious position.
  • Cyclists continue to cycle through underpass and ring their bell to notify me of their presence. OR, if they're not lucky enough to have a bell, they change their gears up and down. Yep. They crinkedy crunk through their gears to be as audible as possible without using their vocal capacity.
  • To test whether they're able to say 'Excuse me please' - or produce any kind of sound from their mouth - I continue to walk in the middle of the pedestrian walkway to get a better view around the approaching blind corner. This results in getting barged by a rib-level handlebar.
  • OH! So it turns out this gear-cruncher can speak! But it no longer matters. As he says 'Oh sorry! Are you OK?' he's already 3 metres away and accelerating around the corner - swerving around a Granny just ahead of me but thankfully avoids her ribs because they probably would've CRUMBLED.
Summary:
Can't people read? Most signs are there for a reason, and 'CYCLISTS DISMOUNT' is obviously there - primarily - to prevent bone-crushing. On a different occasion, I tried moving aside to let them pass as I couldn't be bothered to instigate another accident but then ended up bashing into another pedestrian trying to do the same as we went around the corner. Spent a good 3 seconds doing that awkward side-step-oop-which-way-you-going-there-haha-redface-lolz thing.

3) Peak/Off-Peak
  • Off-peak trains get in to London at 10a.m. or later and I sometimes commute into London on these trains.
  • I get on a train having bought my ticket - I think I'm maybe one minute earlier than normal so that's good! Hooray, maybe I'll be able to stand still on the Central Line escalator today! :)
  • Ticket conductor comes whizzing through the carriage mumbling 'Any more tickets?' and I'm like 'Ooh, that's me! Hold on a sec! Come back! HEY!' and he walks back to where I'm sitting - by the window, next to a man with a big big bag on his lap so I am kinda hidden and peeping out, smiling and waving like a big big loser.
  • Ticket conductor does a smirk and proceeds to tell me the ticket is not valid for this PEAK service. I'll have to pay a fine at the cost of a day ticket to London.
  • My face looks like this: *_* and is the colour of an earthy beetroot.
  • Me: 'What time does this train get into London?'
    TC: '9.59a.m.'
    Me: 'Oh.'
  • Rummaging through my purse to get the ordeal over with, I can't be bothered to question him or holler or cry. I'm too embarrassed and eeeveryone trying to get a good look but HAHA the big big bag is covering me.
Summary:
Ticket conductors are really harsh.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Field Day Fun

If you weren't aware, there are only a few things needed to constitute a good time:
  1. A field
  2. Some music
  3. Some people
  4. Corn-on-the-cob related contests
  5. Copious competitive knee scuffing
  6. Small bottles of Swedish cider
Field Day festival is held every year in the lush leafy Victoria Park and having attended this year's funbonanza I can confirm it definitely delivers all of the above.

You want the dulcet tones of Willy Mason at noon? Done.
Mid-afternoon mini rave in a slightly sweaty strobey tent? Take your pick.
Ostrich burger for dinner? Join the queue (weirdo). I'll meet you by the chippy!
Want to go sliiiightly mental in the crowd for Born Ruffians? Good, because everyone else does too.

Walking, wandering, dancing and skipping around from 10am to 11pm was a little testing on the thighs, and even more so if you happened to enter a tug of war competition and take it quite seriously...

With the line-up being as good as it was, trying to squish in everybody of interest was easier said than done - even with a trusty (progressively soggy) timetable. Warpaint, Anna Calvi and The Coral will have to be pencilled in for another time. I don't mind how unlikely that may be as the bands I did manage to see were superb! With Wild Beasts closing their set on the main stage with 'End Come Too Soon' it certainly did feel that it had.

Fun is pretty easily achievable when you're in good company and fortunately I had that too. Field Day = FUN. Roll on next year!

Contents of bag: another broken bracelet, 10p I probably owe someone, kirby grips, bite cream, a holey and scrumpled timetable, train tickets.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Go for a walk on a sunny afternoon...


...preferably in matching trainers.

I got my black&white film hand-developed today and unfortunately there were scratches along many of the negatives. Not ideal. The nice man put them onto a CD for me (for FREE - hence 'nice man') so I could tweak the close-up portraits I'd done. Grainy is good but stripey just won't do.

A couple you'll find on Flickr but the others will stay put in their little envelope until I find some decent frames to shove them in.

It's always nice to have secret photos that nobody's gawped at on Facebook already. I'm greedy like that.

Monday 1 August 2011

DIY braided blingin' bracelet thing

I bought a vintage curb link bracelet off Ebay for a whopping $4 and made it prettier:



From chunky gold chain to summery braidy bracelet - Voila!